by Ann Hunter
Aowyn approached the pyre with the aid of her brother and lover. “Cursed us and now you fall in satisfaction for it.”
Crwys’s ban sídhe cries filled the summer night as fire licked her bones.
Aowyn watched the witch shrivel into ash. “Your power for our destruction is not greater than our love for each other. Go dtachta an diabhal thú.”
MOONLIGHT
“Are you sure you will not come with us, Wyn?” Choróin asked.
Aowyn, Xander, and the brothers stood on the dock of the port to the black cliffs. Aodhagáin’s ship sat patiently waiting. Caoin Croí and Lorgaire had been carefully shrouded and taken below deck to return to the Summer Isle to rest in the Cairn of the Ancestors near their mother.
Aowyn shook her head. “I abdicate the throne to you, dear brother.” She reached for Choróin’s hand. “You are the rightful heir.” She tilted her head toward the ship. “Bear our fallen brothers well and rule with honor.”
Choróin swept Aowyn into his arms and squeezed her tight. “I will rule with love, with humility, and with mercy, and I will give it freely as you have shown me.”
Aowyn laughed softly. “Well, don’t give it too freely.”
Choróin held her back, and Aowyn smiled at him. “Exercise justice and wisdom,” she urged.
Rógaire stepped close to his brother and sister and wrapped his arms around them both. He leaned his head against Aowyn’s. “I know you think your place is here in the Twelve Kingdoms now, sweet sister, but know that you will always belong with us. Once a Queen of the Isle, always a Queen of the Isle.”
Aowyn kissed his cheek. “Stay clever, my rascal. Choróin needs a smart man by his side.”
The brothers straightened as the captain of the ship announced that they were ready to depart.
Choróin took Aowyn’s left hand, and Rógaire took her right one. They walked to the end of the dock together and stared into the inky night sky, stared forever into…
MOONLIGHT.
Thank you for reading Moonlight.
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If you really, REALLY enjoyed Moonlight, go ahead and nominate it for a Whitney Award:
http://whitneyawards.com/wordpress/nominate
About The Author
Ann Hunter wrote her first multi-award winning story before age 13. She is the author of the young adult fantasy novels The Subtle Beauty, Moonlight, The Rose In The Briar, and Ashes. Moonlight is her second novel-length story to be published. She likes cherry soda with chocolate ice cream, is a mom first and a writer second, has a secret identity, and thinks the Twilight movies are cheesier than cheez whiz (which is why they are her guilty pleasure!)
She lives in a cozy Utah home with her two awesome kids and epic husband.
PRONUNCIATION GUIDE
Correct Pronunciation Provided by http://www.abair.tcd.ie/?lang=eng
For Bannock’s Sake, please pronounce it in your head in any way that increases your reading enjoyment!
If the phrase or word is underlined below, you can click it for an audio pronunciation! Be sure your tablet/reading device’s speakers are not muted.
Unfortunately it won’t work in kindle touch
BIRTH ORDER (AND brief character sketch)
Áodhán (19 at beginning of book), crown prince of the Summer Isle. Arrogant. Called Choróin, “Crowned”.
Aodh (18 at beginning of book), the bard/poetic soul of the family. Nicknamed Caoin Croí, “Gentle Heart”.
Aohearn (16 at beginning of book), mischief maker of the family. Nicknamed “Rógaire”, Rascal.
Aodan (16 at beginning of book), twin to Aohearn. Nicknamed Lorgaire, “Follower”, because he followed Aohearn in birth. He’s also generally eager to follow along in Aohearn’s mischief.
Aogán (15 at beginning of book), wise and scholarly, old soul. Called Eagnaí, “Wise One”.
Aowyn (13 at beginning of book), our heroine. Moody like her fiery father, Aodhagáin, but embodies pure, selfless love for her family. The last words she speaks to Ciatlllait/Crwys are in Celtic and mean “May you fall without rising.”
Go dtachta an diabhal thú
“Go-darthen” “Dee-al” “too”
Aonwys (5 at beginning of book), the baby of the family. Nicknamed a Stór, “My precious”, for he is the last child Sulwen could produce.
TERMINOLOGY
Moonlight is based in an alternate Ireland and utilized several aspects of Irish lore
Tuatha Dé Danann
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuatha_Dé_Danann
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/t/tuatha_de_danann.html
The Tuatha Dé Danann were the first race to arrive on the emerald isle.
Ban Sídhe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banshee
http://celticsociety.freeservers.com/sidhe.html
The Sídhe are considered to be an ancient race, separate from humans, with supernatural powers. It is believed they can change their shape at will. When the first Gaels invaded Ireland, they found that the Tuatha Dé Danann had control of the land. The Gaels fought them and drove them underground, where it is said they remain to this day in the hollows of the sidhe mound.
Mag Mell/Tír na nÓg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mag_Mell
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tír_na_nÓg
Mag Mell/Tír na nÓg are supernatural realms of everlasting joy, peace, and youth. They are often depicted as islands of paradisiacal glory where sickness and death do not exist.
Mother Moon
The ancient Celts believed in reincarnation. The moon played significant roles in their lives. Druids taught the concept of immortality of the soul — that even when a person dies physically, her soul continues to live. They believed that the soul was reincarnated as another entity in the living world. For Aowyn, the moon embodied all that her mother was.
The Celts’ reckoning of time lies in their regard for the feminine principle the moon impacts. They showed their respect for the moon by using euphemisms and referred to the moon as queen of the night. Their lunar calendar goes a long way in suggesting how deeply the moon affected their way of life.
Bealtaine “Beel-tanya”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beltane
Bealtaine was an important, sacred holiday in Celtic life. It symbolized birth and renewal. The word itself literally means ‘bright’ or ‘bright fire’ and is termed after the Celtic god, Bel. Bealtaine was celebrated around May 1, or “Cétamain”, which was countered in the calendar by the winter Solstice of Samhain. Where Samhain represented death, Cétamain reminds us of life and its potential.
The Sacred Marriage
The Sacred Marriage was the symbolic union between god and goddess. It is the primal act of creation from which life stems.
It was expected of the High Ruler of the realm to perform this Great Rite and ensure fertility and abundance over the land throughout their rein.
Greenwood Marriages were similar. At Bealtaine young lovers would run off into the woods to perform their own Sacred Marriage where they would be legally bound to one another for a year and a day. It was understood that the unions represented the God and Goddess in the physical form of man and woman. It was a celebration of love and life. Any children born from these unions were considered lucky, blessed by the God and Goddess. They were raised by the community and not just their parents.
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